Marijuana/Perspectives
*I'm a scientist and scholar who is aware that in countries where Marijuana is legal, the dire consequences predicted by legalization opponents have failed to materialize. I believe that Marijuana is exploited just as alcohol was during prohibition in order to create a wedge strategy that distracts the population from more important issues. Furthermore, I believe that the prohibition of Marijuana weakens the very core of our country by enacting laws that a sizable portion of the population cannot or will not follow. - Mullingitover 00:28, 27 July 2006 (UTC) :: -Im a student from New Zealand and I have been studying marijuana. The outlook of marijuana is not good, for one it can be scientifically proven to give more diseases than take them, this includes addiction. It ruins families, homes, corrupts and influences younger generations to smoke marijuana because they are around it. It seems to me what is the world coming to, we are supposed to protect and care for those who are younger than us by guiding them against the bad things of the world. Because it can be very sad for a young man who is taken to jail for smoking weed and possesing it, and for a mother to find her son has gone to jail, because in my country cannabis is purely illegal but can be used for medical use only,and it will always stay that way in my country. * I'm a political consultant who believes that legalization poses grave dangers to society and the dangers to the human body are far from known by medical science. Releasing a flood of marijuana onto society could change us in ways we cannot imagine. In a global marketplace, in which we need to remain competitive and alert at all times, dulling our senses in the mass "stone-a-thon" that would likely take place could spell the ruin of America as a civilization. It's already bad enough as an illegal drug, legalizing it could be a disaster. - Nhprman 19:10, 8 July 2006 (UTC) :: *I am a student who believes that marijuana is not the great threat against society is has been made out to be. Legalization would not spell the ruin of society, much like alcohol has never ruined society. Humans have used drugs since before civilization, and will continue to do so. Regardless of the few that would burn out on something if marijuana was not available, most users can lead responsible and useful lives. The attitude that America will self-destruct is pessimistic and unfounded. If anything, legalization would solve a plethora of problems. --Bobcobb 21:45, 9 July 2006 (UTC) * As a parent with an 11-year-old daughter, I am far more concerned with the legal problems which could be caused if my daughter were caught in possession of an "illegal substance" (or even merely in association with others who were caught in possession) than I am about possible detrimental effects of the drug itself. I am also more concerned about the discussion-suppressing effects of illegalization, which I believe outweighs the deterring effect. --Woozalia 01:53, 27 July 2006 (UTC) * I am a candidate for AL House District 79, and as a Libertarian I believe that marijuana use as well as all other drug use is not rightfully considered a crime. The government should never intervene in voluntary activities that do not entail the violation of someone's property rights. Prohibition laws always funnel additional money to the most brazen, and in later cases clever, criminals who are willing to engage in black market activities. If we want to de-fund street gangs, let's end the black-market monopoly on some of the most profitable, in-demand product groups on the world market. Any talk about arresting people for crimes that do not directly abrogate the rights of another ignores the fact that individuals own themselves. Any "collective" action to exert sovereignty over another's body is tantamount to slavery and is the polar opposite of liberty. DickClarkMises 18:29, 27 July 2006 (UTC) * I'm a journalist and software developer from Berlin, Germany. Possession of small quantities of marijuana is generally not prosecuted here, while production and trade are still very much criminalized. The typical punishments for drug use in the United States, often the consequence of mandatory minimums, can only be considered obscene from a humanist perspective. It is no coincidence that no country imprisons more people than the U.S. -- the "war on drugs," as fought by the U.S., is in fact a war against the weakest members of American society. While U.S. drug policy is morally bankrupt, complete legalization in a capitalist market environment does not strike me as the right solution. Capitalism is all about making the most profit from a particular product and getting customers to come back. It is well-documented, for instance, that tobacco companies have spent much of their R&D on the development of "booster chemicals" to increase the addictive potential of cigarettes. Leaving marijuana to the free market will have the same effect: corporations will flourish around it, trying to increase its addictiveness, getting more people to use it, and so on. Indeed, the first stages of this development can be observed in Dutch cities like Amsterdam, where coffeeshops compete with each other on pricing, visibility and products, in spite of still being heavily regulated by the government. Regardless of its "liberal" attitude on Marijuana, one can barely avoid noticing the junkies and dealers of hard drugs on Amsterdam's streets. Politics should not treasure a false and dehumanizing ideal of a "free market", but the common good of all human beings. The freedom to take pleasure from drugs is a good that is worth protecting, but the complexity of choice in the context of addiction (physiological or psychological dependency) makes "everyone can do what they want" too simple an answer. Drugs should be regulated proportionally to their harmfulness -- but even in the worst cases, drug users should be considered victims rather than criminals. The regulation of soft drugs like marijuana should consist of licensed non-profit agencies being allowed to distribute particular drugs -- together with educational materials, and with a focus on preventing addictive behavioral patterns which harm the individual. What is absolutely clear is that current drug policy across the planet is wrong and needs to be fixed, and all reasonable persons should agree on some central demands to do so. There's no need to agree on the specifics of policy, but the systematic imprisonment of millions of people, the destruction of families, the brutal war against society in the name of "fighting drugs" must stop.--Eloquence 19:52, 27 July 2006 (UTC) *I'm a progressive in Seattle. I believe that if we had won the War on Poverty, we wouldn't have to deal with a War on Drugs. I believe that drugs are an escape from a reality of low opportunity and low promise, much like terrorism is a weapon of mass desparation used by people who have no hope and few options to make their lives and the lives of their loved ones better. Let's work on the core problem, and improve people's lives through investment in infrastructure and community development. Treat drug addiction as a medical condition, while bringing the drugs themselves out of the black market so they can be regulated and taxed. This path was used for alcohol and tobacco, and it's working. Afghanistan only has a poppy crop because there is a market for it. Let's actually fix the problem. Chadlupkes 14:19, 4 August 2006 (UTC) * I am a Canadian student, who beleives that not allowing Marijuana to be legal, but to have alcohol and nicotine legal, is a double standard, and an infringement on our rights as humans to make our own choices. Sure we have laws to protect people that may not make a good choice, but when you reach adulthood, you should be able to make those choices on your own accord. throughout life we are told that this is bad, and that is good, when we really should hear, this is what this does, be informed to all the risks of the choices that we make. Marijuana has been used for thousands of years and all across the world, if someone does not wish to take part then thats their choice, and nobody elses but theirs, they might be influenced by others, but governing bodies just can't spew propaganda without expecting one or two to think differently. If you make something look bad and dennounce it of course the youth of today will say 'hey, lets show those who tell us what to do where they can stick it.' If you are expecting youth to grow up as functioning members of your society then maybe, end that doulbe standard too, and give them a little credit and respect, just because one is a law breaker, doesnt mean that the rest will follow, however they will if you treat them all the same as the law breaker. * (Insert yours here) Category:Drugs